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Myra Rivera never planned to become a paralegal. "I actually didn't choose it. It kind of chose me," she says. But while she was in college, she got a job working at a law firm. "I was studying a social work major, but I really needed a part-time job. I found it as a receptionist in a small legal office, and the rest is history. It's a very satisfying place to work; especially because you have such a personal connection to the people you help." Myra also found that being bilingual was a huge asset as a paralegal. "I found I could really help people and the fact that I was bilingual was of so much use in this field," she says.

She graduated in Paralegal Studies at Montgomery College, Maryland in 2004. When asked why she chose that particular school she says, "Because it was convenient to work, home, and my pocketbook. The tuition was very reasonable and they had classes at all hours of the day. The campus was also very convenient."

Paralegals act as support for the attorneys they work for. This may not sound very glamorous, but as Myra puts it, "Sure, I do all the paperwork, filing, transcription, interpreting, etc., but nothing is better than holding that three year old who was burned by medication that the pharmacy dispensed incorrectly and finally seeing her smile after two years of skin grafts and treatment, and knowing that her college tuition is covered and she'll be able to play again."

Being a paralegal can be challenging, Myra states. "You have to be a people person to be in this profession and be very patient with people because they come in all the flavors imaginable. I remember this one client just wouldn't let up. He called me seven or eight times a day. I explained the same thing over and over to him, but it wasn't enough he had to hear again and again. Finally, when his case was settled and I made an appointment to meet with him so he could sign the settlement documents, he surprised the heck out of me. He brought me a box of chocolates, thanked me and said that I kept him grounded in a time that was so scary for him."

Working as a paralegal is also immensely gratifying. Myra gets great personal satisfaction out of her work, but she says she had no idea how many lives she'd touched until after her daughter was born. "I literally got gifts from every single client that I've helped. Some of them still drop by with a "little something" for my daughter. It always amazes me how grateful people are by some simple courtesy or the time you take to explain something to them."

When asked what advice she'd give to someone considering a degree in Paralegal Studies, Myra says, "Cultivate patience above all and have a sense of humor because you're going to see a lot of scary things, but at the end of the day you've got to be able to laugh about it or it'll eat little pieces away from you. Be friendly to adjusters and other attorneys, you'll never know when you'll be working with them again and they'll remember, trust me."

As a final note of advice, Myra laughs and says, "Oh, and practice your penmanship because in the age of e-mail, typed letters and masthead letterhead, nothing says "you're special" more than a handwritten card thanking a client for their business."

http://www.criminaljusticemajors.com/criminal-justice-profile-helping-right-the-worlds-wrongs-as-a-paralegal

Why are so many diseases - cancer, allergies, depression - on the rise?

Some thoughts generated by Dr Carole Hungerford's book: "Good Health In The 21st Century - A Family Doctor's Unconventional Guide to Good Health.

Some thoughts that have been generated by my reading of Dr Carole Hungerford's book: "Good Health In The 21st Century - A Family Doctor's Unconventional Guide to Good Health."

In the preface to her book Dr Carole Hungerford refers to some questions that her patients asked, for example:

Why is a good diet not good enough?

Why are so many diseases - cancer, allergies, depression - on the rise?

Why do I need medication to stay healthy?

Why are there so many new diseases such as autism, SARS and AIDS?

All of these questions are very hot topics at the present time. Would you agree?

Dr Carole's book is fairly thick, all of 500 pages or so. But it is written in an easy to understand and readable style that explains very clearly in layman's language. It is a well researched, authoritative and well documented handbook. The expert Medical or Health practitioner or John Citizen, who wants to know some answers to these pressing questions about their health, will find invaluable information contained within the book.

Dr Carole clearly explains the true causes of the ever increasing number of people diagnosed with the Western World's diseases.

She combines well referenced detail on the importance of macro and micro nutrients. Her contention that Diet and Lifestyle is all-important in the positive outcome of many diseases.

She poses the question, Why are the problems of an ageing population a cause for worry for many Western nations? There is a frightening prediction that we are producing a generation which may not outlive their parents. This is due to disturbing health trends, particularly in the younger generations.

There is an explosion in the incidence (childhood) obesity, asthma, depression, and the younger diagnoses of many cancers throughout the Western world. In her book she questions the current Health (Sickness - my italics) Industry based on a model of 'curing disease.'

Dr Carole combines sound knowledge and understanding of biochemistry and nutrition, with the latest medical research to provide a radically different way to establish and maintain the well-being of the population.

She has rejected the routine cocktail of medication, as suggested by the Pharmaceutical Companies, mainly due to their complicated interactions and side-effects of the various drugs that are currently prescribed to try and improve the general health of the population. These cocktails of medication are plainly not working.

Dr Hungerford draws on anthropology, agriculture and other ecosystems to show how minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids can do their health giving work when given the chance. She encourages her readers to go back to the basics of good health. It is through good nutrition and other simple remedies, that she gives us some of the answers to the problems modern society is facing.

I, for one, have learned so much by this initial comment on Dr Hungerford's book and look forward to the next article that I will be writing and sharing with you.

Darryl Thompson

Ex South African now Australian. Have been in Australia since January 1996. Australia is now home to Lesley and I. Have two married sons. We live in outer north western Sydney at Bligh Park. Lesley and I celebrated our 31st anniversary 2 April 2008. Very passionate about Family Health Nutrition and how all three are inter-related.

contact me: darryl_t1@optusnet.com.au

http://familyhealthnutrition.blogspot.com/

http://www.clixGalore.com/PSale.aspx?BID=7763&AfID=170092&AdID=1320&LP=http://www.seekbooks.com.au

Myra Rivera never planned to become a paralegal. "I actually didn't choose it. It kind of chose me," she says. But while she was in college, she got a job working at a law firm. "I was studying a social work major, but I really needed a part-time job. I found it as a receptionist in a small legal office, and the rest is history. It's a very satisfying place to work; especially because you have such a personal connection to the people you help." Myra also found that being bilingual was a huge asset as a paralegal. "I found I could really help people and the fact that I was bilingual was of so much use in this field," she says.

She graduated in Paralegal Studies at Montgomery College, Maryland in 2004. When asked why she chose that particular school she says, "Because it was convenient to work, home, and my pocketbook. The tuition was very reasonable and they had classes at all hours of the day. The campus was also very convenient."

Paralegals act as support for the attorneys they work for. This may not sound very glamorous, but as Myra puts it, "Sure, I do all the paperwork, filing, transcription, interpreting, etc., but nothing is better than holding that three year old who was burned by medication that the pharmacy dispensed incorrectly and finally seeing her smile after two years of skin grafts and treatment, and knowing that her college tuition is covered and she'll be able to play again."

Being a paralegal can be challenging, Myra states. "You have to be a people person to be in this profession and be very patient with people because they come in all the flavors imaginable. I remember this one client just wouldn't let up. He called me seven or eight times a day. I explained the same thing over and over to him, but it wasn't enough he had to hear again and again. Finally, when his case was settled and I made an appointment to meet with him so he could sign the settlement documents, he surprised the heck out of me. He brought me a box of chocolates, thanked me and said that I kept him grounded in a time that was so scary for him."

Working as a paralegal is also immensely gratifying. Myra gets great personal satisfaction out of her work, but she says she had no idea how many lives she'd touched until after her daughter was born. "I literally got gifts from every single client that I've helped. Some of them still drop by with a "little something" for my daughter. It always amazes me how grateful people are by some simple courtesy or the time you take to explain something to them."

When asked what advice she'd give to someone considering a degree in Paralegal Studies, Myra says, "Cultivate patience above all and have a sense of humor because you're going to see a lot of scary things, but at the end of the day you've got to be able to laugh about it or it'll eat little pieces away from you. Be friendly to adjusters and other attorneys, you'll never know when you'll be working with them again and they'll remember, trust me."

As a final note of advice, Myra laughs and says, "Oh, and practice your penmanship because in the age of e-mail, typed letters and masthead letterhead, nothing says "you're special" more than a handwritten card thanking a client for their business."

http://www.criminaljusticemajors.com/criminal-justice-profile-helping-right-the-worlds-wrongs-as-a-paralegal